When is a larger swaybar necessary?

I've read varying reports that running a thicker swaybar limits suspension travel and puts to much stress on the tires, making handling at the limit tricky.

 

I have also read that many Japanese forgo changing the sways in favor of stiffer springs. I have the monster Perrin bar and there have been many times when I've had a wheel loose contact because of the bar.

 

So my question is when would it be advantageous to use a larger anti-swaybar and why?

There are pros and cons to every setup. Road surface and tire compound are key factors.

 

What are your proposed uses for the car, and what are you looking to achieve?

 

Generally, speed on the track is achieved through traction, and traction achieved through balance and compliance, as opposed to an overly stiff setup.

Currently my car just a DD. Lets say I wanted to build it for HPDE, r spec tires, and my local track has a fairly smooth surface.

In that case I'd say you would want to tone down the bars and go with much stiffer springs. The bigger swaybars are best suited for achieving a relatively high roll resistance while maintaining compliance with softer springs for rough sections of road, much like performance DD applications. In the end you want to maintain a balance of the two. R compounds will allow you the ability to run higher rates without loosing traction.